Snapshot: A Plant-Clad Pavilion in Delhi Draws Attention to Conservation Issues
Delhi

Architects & Firms
In Delhi this February, in the shadow of Humayun’s Tomb, a temporary pavilion sought to draw attention to conservation issues. Commissioned by the Aranyani ecological-restoration and creative-arts initiative, and timed to coincide with India Art Fair, the bamboo structure was clad in wickerwork made from lantana, considered an invasive species, and wore a crown of familiar Delhi plants, some native and others naturalized. “What do we mean when we label plants native or invasive? It’s a question I’d like us to start talking about,” said Aranyani founder Tara Lal. To get the discussion going, she asked London-based architect duo T_M.space—29-year-old Cypriot Tanil Raif and 30-year-old Colombian Mario Serrano Puche—to imagine a sacred grove, which they interpreted as an organically undulating spiral. The pavilion will soon move from Sunder Nursery to a girls’ school in India’s Thar Desert, where it will dress up in local plants.
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